Recipes

4 holiday inspired purees for baby

On December 7, 2017 by

It’s finally my favorite time of the year: Christmas Time! I love everything about this season: the snow, the Christmas lights, the holiday music, seriously EVERYTHING! And if your love for Christmas is as serious as mine then that means EVERYONE within eye’s sight has to love Christmas too… bless my poor husband’s heart. I love to do all things festive with the family and even make a point to try to create holiday-inspired foods for the whole family! Yes, that includes baby! Here are 4 of my Holiday Inspired Purees for baby that are festive and nutritious!

Brussels Sprout + Squash + Cranberry Puree

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts

1 small squash

½ cup of cranberries

Instructions:

  1. Wash all ingredients with cold water. For Brussels sprouts, slice off the stems, then remove any of the outer leaves that are blemished. Use a large knife to cut squash in half from top to bottom, and then scrape out the seeds and any remaining strings. Peel and cut into cubes.
  2. Fill half of a medium saucepan with water, and then bring to a boil. Add the sprouts, squash, and cranberries then lower the heat to medium low. Cover, and let simmer 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain the water and let cool slightly.
  3. Place the sprout, squash, and cranberry  mixture in a food processor or blender and pulse to create a smooth, thick puree. Add breast milk, formula or water if needed to create the right consistency for your baby.

Carrot + Lentil  puree

Ingredients:

3 medium carrots or 1 ½ cups baby carrots

¼ cup of canned lentils, drained and rinsed

½ cup breast milk, formula, or water

Instructions:

  1. Wash and peel the whole carrots, if using. Cut off stems and tip, then cut in half cross-wise. Chop into 1-inch pieces.
  2. Bring a medium pot to a boil. Add carrots and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until just tender. Add the lentils and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until the carrots are fully tender and the lentils are warm.  Drain in a colander.
  3. Add the carrots, lentils and breast milk, formula, or water to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse to create a coarse and chunky puree.

Squash + Quinoa Puree

1 cup butternut squash, cubed and peeled

1 cup of cooked quinoa

½ cup water, breast milk, or formula

Instructions:

  1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and then add the squash and cook for 13 minutes, or until tender.
  2. Add the cooked quinoa, squash, and ½ cup of breast milk, formula, or water to a food processor or blender and pulse to create a soft puree.

Cranberry + Apple Puree

Ingredients:

2 apples

½ cup of cranberries

1 tablespoons breast milk, formula, or water

Instructions:

  1. Wash the apples, then peel and cut into quarters. Remove the core and seeds.
  2. Fill half of a medium saucepan with water, and then bring to a boil. Add the apples and cranberries then lower the heat to medium low. Cover, and let simmer 8-15 minutes, or until tender.
  3. Place the apples, cranberries, and 2 tablespoons of breast milk, formula, or cooking water into a food processor or blender and pulse to create a smooth, thick puree.

 

Just barely getting into making baby purees? Check out my new cookbook, Happy Tummies: A Cookbook For New Mamas, that is full of over 200 baby foods and 100 mama recipes.

Hello! I am Karen Folcik, a wife, mama, speaker and author of  Happy Tummies: A Cookbook for New Mamas. For recipes, tips and more follow me @happytummiescookbook on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.